Re: Arabic -- qawsitaliyya?

From: Herb Martin (news_at_LearnQuick.com)
Date: 06/21/04 

Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 18:09:01 GMT

> All serious Arabic dictionaries list words according to roots. This
> method compels you to understand the profound nature of the language and
> allows you to *tremendously* enrich your vocabulary with a minimum
> effort.
>
> I have bought at the beginning and by mistake a dictionary where for
> instance the word 'maktaba' is listed under the letter 'm', instead of
> under 'k', as it should be. If you ever possess one, consider using it
> to light your charcoal this summer.

Send it to me?

I thoroughly agree about the preference for the root order
dictionary, but the value of phonetic dictionary while less
is much greater than zero, especially where the goal is to
find a word rapidly (my example is watching TV) and
perhaps look it up later in a root order dictionary.

Another responder mentioned "computer dictionaries" and
I have one that organizes searches by first letter (Arabic order
which is find) and it is quite useful although I use it less than
another one that requires me to "get the letters correct."

Ideally, a dictionary would let you look up words by all of
these: root, phonetic, pattern-match (grep), synonyms, etc.

With paper dictionaries that is impractical for serious
dictionaries but for computer versions we will hopefully
see a quality Arabic dictionary like this. 

-- 
Herb Martin
"Raymond Roy" <belamiNoSpam@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:40d6f87b.7087691@news1.sympatico.ca...
> Le Mon, 21 Jun 2004 10:08:42 +0200, Ruud Harmsen
> <realemailseesite01@rudhar.com> écrivit :
>
> >Mon, 21 Jun 2004 07:59:18 GMT: "Herb Martin" <news@LearnQuick.com>: in
> >sci.lang:
> >
> >>Given that the author recommends using it with "Hans Wehr"
> >>this is especially irritating since one must frequently look in
> >>two, four, or more places Alef-Baa-tically.
> >
> >Moreover, Hans Wehr is not arranged aphabetically, but by root. A good
> >thing, I think, but it can make it difficult to find words.
> >
>
> Raymond
>
>
> Raymond
>
>
> >Ruud Harmsen <rha@rudhar.com> - http://rudhar.com
>

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